Heavyweights in game of patience

Look at the team rosters and you will be inclined to call Tamil Nadu the favourites ahead of Mumbai on the eve of the Ranji Trophy semi-final which starts at Wankhede Stadium from Tuesday. In L Balaji, S Badrinath, Dinesh Karthik, M Vijay and Abhinav Mukund, Tamil Nadu have five players who have played for India, and are still in the reckoning. In contrast, Mumbai have only Abhishek Nayar and the pair of Wasim Jaffer and Ramesh Powar, two marathoners who run as if there is no finish tape, but with little hope of returning to the India squad.

Yet Mumbai retain that bonding, that ability to pull together as a team, regardless of how strong or meagre the resources at hand, a quality that has seen them emerge domestic champions on five occasions from the turn of the millennium.

In the corresponding period, Tamil Nadu entered the finals only twice, in 2002-02 and 2003-04, faced Mumbai on both occasions, and came out second. Badrinath played in both those defeats while Balaji, Tamil Nadu's current captain, was part of the 2003 side. If you do not win a Ranji Trophy when you have played for more than ten years, it hurts, as Balaji admitted.

It is this pain of the absence of the crown which is bound to be the driving force for Tamil Nadu over the next four days. But Balaji's biggest challenge would be to keep his inexperienced bowling attack focussed, accurate and patient. Yo Mahesh and Jagannathan Kaushik, his fast-bowling partners, need Balaji to prompt them from mid-off and mid-on all the time.

Aushik Srinivas is Tamil Nadu's leading spinner at 18. The slow left-arm bowler will have fond memories of this city, as it was against Mumbai that he had got his career-best figures of 7 for 107 at the Bandra Kurla Complex ground in 2009. But Aushik tends to get distracted and bowls wrong lines; he needs constant guidance from Balaji and J Gokulakrishnan, the Tamil Nadu bowling coach.

Not only does he have to play the mentor, Balaji also has to give the right start with the new ball for his young attack to stay calm. He has declared himself fit for the match after sitting out on the third day of the quarter-final against Maharashtra due to back spasms. It was an old injury, Balaji said, which he now knows how to handle. If anything, Balaji, an intense man, and an aggressive bowler, will only be hungry to accept the challenge.

Luckily for them, the visitors' batting is full of experience and talent. Vijay, Abhinav, Badrinath and Karthik will be itching to perform and impress the selectors who will assemble in Chennai on January 15 to pick the ODI squad for the tri-series in Australia.

With 825 runs, Abhinav is only 16 behind Rajasthan's Robin Bist, the highest run-getter this season. But he has never played at Wankhede and importantly, never made a Ranji century against Mumbai. Vijay has been inconsistent this season; the absence of any century highlights that fact.

Badrinath was ruled out for part of the season with an injury. He returned for the previous four matches and made a hundred against Gujarat. It was his 250 that had forced Mumbai to concede the first-innings lead in 2009. The batting form of the wicketkeeper Karthik, for whom Wankhede will soon be the home ground in the IPL after he was bought by Mumbai Indians, allows his team to field five bowlers.

Mumbai will be wary of all these men, once they sort their own issues. Despite the absence of Ajit Agarkar, Mumbai have managed to get this far, and credit goes to Ramesh Powar, the joint-highest wicket-taker among the four semi-finalists. His success only exposes the limitations of Mumbai's fast bowlers.

Though Dhawal Kulkarni got a five-for in the first innings against Madhya Pradesh in the quarter-final, he failed to get a wicket the second time around and sat out the final day with a shin niggle. Balwinder Sandhu - who claimed a five-for on debut against Punjab - bowled gamely against MP, but lacks the pace to breach the formidable Tamil Nadu batting order. Kshemal Waingankar can bowl honest spells but needs support from his captain as well as from the opposite end.

The return of Nayar, who was forced to miss the previous two matches due to a swollen thumb, could provide Mumbai some respite. Though Suryakumar Yadav has been the highest run-getter for Mumbai, Nayar has been their best batsman, playing with a maturity that comes with years and the willingness to accept the responsibility of being a senior batsman. Along with his batting, Nayar has also proved handy with the ball, bowling nagging lines, at times wide outside the off stump, to distract batsman into playing a false stroke.

"Most of their batsmen have played for India and have been scoring runs. Even in their bowling you have to guard against Balaji who is always a threat. So you have to guard against everything," Wasim Jaffer, the Mumbai captain, said. Accoding to Balaji, it would be a tough game, like always. "Whenever Tamil Nadu and Mumbai play, both teams play hard," Balaji said.

In the end it would be a game of patience, as WV Raman, the former India batsman and Tamil Nadu coach, said on The Chatter, ESPNcricinfo's audio show.

@ssenthil -- TN is too powerful to Mumbai this season and I dont find a way on how Mumbai is going to make it to the finals.. Seeing the score cards of the 4 teams in Semis, TN will be Ranji champs this year..

satish619chandar
on January 10, 2012, 13:34 GMT

Mumbai misses almost the core of the team.. Chennai has them all apart from Ashwin.. I am all happy unless the result is based on first innings lead..

ssenthil
on January 10, 2012, 11:58 GMT

After TN was slumped to 139/6, they had a good recovery to reach 250/6 at Stumps thanks to Ramasamy Prasanna and Yo Mahesh, what looks a respectable score but that also meant the Pitch has been eased out and good for Batting which meant Mumbai is now overwhelming Favourite to go through the Final. Mumbai will breath easy knowing the fact that whatever the rest of the batsman put through in the Innings can be easily outscored when they came to bat as nothing left in the pitch. Another time TN halted by Mumbai in the knock-outs and another time TN failed! (Not yet though but on the way) surpass Semi Final hurdle since the millennium, perhaps they have qualified for knock-outs every year since the millennium

kingcobra85
on January 10, 2012, 10:40 GMT

Title says "Heavyweights" with pic of ramesh powar in the article. Somebody needs to explain :) lol good sense of humour

silly_pt
on January 10, 2012, 8:19 GMT

Well, Wankhede track is anything but flat..there will be help for bowlers on first & last day..toss is crucial..last time Mumbai played here they beat Punjab comfortably inside 4 days...as I type TN is struggling at 152/6..not that great bowling by Mumbai but very poor batting from TN...very much in favor of Mumbai at the moment..

ssenthil
on January 10, 2012, 7:58 GMT

TN half lost the battle already tottering at 125/5. Mumbai clearly have the advantage as the pitch will be dead and great for batting in 2nd and 3rd day. The match is as good as over for TN very similar to what happened for India in SCG will repeat here. Seems to be Haryana vs Mumbai final as Haryana having Rajasthan at check for 67/9.

on January 10, 2012, 7:51 GMT

Never underestimate Mumbai guys..... Im sure they will beat TN and will make it to the final easily

on January 10, 2012, 7:43 GMT

i hope mumbai to be in finals....lets see....

nickydude
on January 10, 2012, 7:33 GMT

Why is Mumbai-TN scorecard not available yet, when Raj-Har is ther since morning. Cricinfo, anything fishy here?

satish619chandar
on January 10, 2012, 7:10 GMT

For me, the guy to watch is Surya Kumar Yadav.. He showed remarkable composure in CLT20 and in ranji too.. He should aim to get big centuries to get noted though..

Sam_crusher
on January 12, 2012, 10:19 GMT

@ssenthil -- TN is too powerful to Mumbai this season and I dont find a way on how Mumbai is going to make it to the finals.. Seeing the score cards of the 4 teams in Semis, TN will be Ranji champs this year..

satish619chandar
on January 10, 2012, 13:34 GMT

Mumbai misses almost the core of the team.. Chennai has them all apart from Ashwin.. I am all happy unless the result is based on first innings lead..

ssenthil
on January 10, 2012, 11:58 GMT

After TN was slumped to 139/6, they had a good recovery to reach 250/6 at Stumps thanks to Ramasamy Prasanna and Yo Mahesh, what looks a respectable score but that also meant the Pitch has been eased out and good for Batting which meant Mumbai is now overwhelming Favourite to go through the Final. Mumbai will breath easy knowing the fact that whatever the rest of the batsman put through in the Innings can be easily outscored when they came to bat as nothing left in the pitch. Another time TN halted by Mumbai in the knock-outs and another time TN failed! (Not yet though but on the way) surpass Semi Final hurdle since the millennium, perhaps they have qualified for knock-outs every year since the millennium

kingcobra85
on January 10, 2012, 10:40 GMT

Title says "Heavyweights" with pic of ramesh powar in the article. Somebody needs to explain :) lol good sense of humour

silly_pt
on January 10, 2012, 8:19 GMT

Well, Wankhede track is anything but flat..there will be help for bowlers on first & last day..toss is crucial..last time Mumbai played here they beat Punjab comfortably inside 4 days...as I type TN is struggling at 152/6..not that great bowling by Mumbai but very poor batting from TN...very much in favor of Mumbai at the moment..

ssenthil
on January 10, 2012, 7:58 GMT

TN half lost the battle already tottering at 125/5. Mumbai clearly have the advantage as the pitch will be dead and great for batting in 2nd and 3rd day. The match is as good as over for TN very similar to what happened for India in SCG will repeat here. Seems to be Haryana vs Mumbai final as Haryana having Rajasthan at check for 67/9.

on January 10, 2012, 7:51 GMT

Never underestimate Mumbai guys..... Im sure they will beat TN and will make it to the final easily

on January 10, 2012, 7:43 GMT

i hope mumbai to be in finals....lets see....

nickydude
on January 10, 2012, 7:33 GMT

Why is Mumbai-TN scorecard not available yet, when Raj-Har is ther since morning. Cricinfo, anything fishy here?

satish619chandar
on January 10, 2012, 7:10 GMT

For me, the guy to watch is Surya Kumar Yadav.. He showed remarkable composure in CLT20 and in ranji too.. He should aim to get big centuries to get noted though..

IndiaNeedsBowlers
on January 10, 2012, 5:44 GMT

Hmmm...
Mumbai doesn't have some of their star players. They will miss their fast bowlers. For TN it would be thier mental toughness. if they can handle the pressure, they definetly have players on the paper to win them the match. this is going to be very intresting.

on January 10, 2012, 5:42 GMT

Mumbai & Chennai people will be following this ranji semi final more closely than the Ind-Aus Test match.

SouthPaw
on January 10, 2012, 5:32 GMT

I tend to agree with Nagraj. Mumbai has that pedigree and innate quality as a team to go on an win from even bad situations, while TN has history against them.

Whatever it be, let us hope that the 2 SF and the Final turn out to be a good contest for everyone

on January 10, 2012, 5:09 GMT

The psychological odds are stacked against TN as mentioned in the article.. Mumbai is a depleted side this season and looks very vulnerable. Hope TN does not succumb to pressure and performs to their full potential..

nickydude
on January 10, 2012, 5:08 GMT

Cmon MUM, 40th crown awaits the city!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GO MUM, GO!! :)

TRAM
on January 10, 2012, 4:03 GMT

If MVijay swears he can single-handed take TN for victory. So is DKarthik. I was told DKarthik scored some 400+ in a single day in one of his earlier matches when he was young. It is all in the mind. Badri is always there as a pillar. Balaji is very positive minded captain. Synergetic, they are too good against any team in India.

Tendulkars_Tennis_Elbow
on January 10, 2012, 3:09 GMT

Go TN!!!
The accompanying photograph makes me go lol. Dinesh Karthik is lean, athletic and probably has a body fat percentage less than 10. Powar on the other hand looks like he is hiding a suitcase under his vest.

on January 10, 2012, 1:34 GMT

we need the trophy this time around. beat mumbai

eden.2001.fakr.hai
on January 9, 2012, 21:28 GMT

While the nation is overflowing with reactions and comments on India's abject surrender in Australia. Cricinfo did a commendable job by posting an article on Ranji trophy final stages. Keep it coming guys !!!

While the nation is overflowing with reactions and comments on India's abject surrender in Australia. Cricinfo did a commendable job by posting an article on Ranji trophy final stages. Keep it coming guys !!!

on January 10, 2012, 1:34 GMT

we need the trophy this time around. beat mumbai

Tendulkars_Tennis_Elbow
on January 10, 2012, 3:09 GMT

Go TN!!!
The accompanying photograph makes me go lol. Dinesh Karthik is lean, athletic and probably has a body fat percentage less than 10. Powar on the other hand looks like he is hiding a suitcase under his vest.

TRAM
on January 10, 2012, 4:03 GMT

If MVijay swears he can single-handed take TN for victory. So is DKarthik. I was told DKarthik scored some 400+ in a single day in one of his earlier matches when he was young. It is all in the mind. Badri is always there as a pillar. Balaji is very positive minded captain. Synergetic, they are too good against any team in India.

nickydude
on January 10, 2012, 5:08 GMT

Cmon MUM, 40th crown awaits the city!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GO MUM, GO!! :)

on January 10, 2012, 5:09 GMT

The psychological odds are stacked against TN as mentioned in the article.. Mumbai is a depleted side this season and looks very vulnerable. Hope TN does not succumb to pressure and performs to their full potential..

SouthPaw
on January 10, 2012, 5:32 GMT

I tend to agree with Nagraj. Mumbai has that pedigree and innate quality as a team to go on an win from even bad situations, while TN has history against them.

Whatever it be, let us hope that the 2 SF and the Final turn out to be a good contest for everyone

on January 10, 2012, 5:42 GMT

Mumbai & Chennai people will be following this ranji semi final more closely than the Ind-Aus Test match.